22-Pistepirkko has always been a very experimental and open-minded band, but on
Eleven they found a whole new way of arranging songs, featuring more and more tracks that relied on drum machine or synth leads. Despite
22-Pistepirkko's attraction to MIDI synths and computer,
Eleven had a lot of guitars, but on
Rally of Love they've jumped even further. And that's not even the most shocking thing to old school
22-Pistepirkko fans:
22-Pistepirkko has intentionally tried to make a poppy and produced album. That and the extensive use of synthesizers make
Rally of Love a
22-Pistepirkko album you've never heard before. Their songwriting has remained just the same, so what you hear is a very modernized version of
22-Pistepirkko. A great thing about
Rally of Love is that even though computers dominate the entire album, it still sounds very warm. But despite that,
Rally of Love is a bit exhaustive. There is not a single track where synths and drum machines are not in the foreground, so 45 minutes of synths and P-K's voice (drummer Espe sings on only one track, "D-Day") can be too much. Also, unlike "Onion Soup" on
Eleven, there isn't a potential hit song that stands out from the rest of the material. It's pretty typical for
22-Pistepirkko to make albums that are smoothly excellent, and that's
Rally of Love's problem, too. But yet, it is a steady and good album from
22-Pistepirkko, and there are plenty of fine songs here. ~ Antti J. Ravelin